Eclipse Resources

 If needed there is really only one resource you need for today's (4/8/2024) eclipse and that is NASA's "Where & When" page with the below map.

Total Eclipse Map from NASA

 And for us gamer's out there; the gamer version of the eclipse.

 

Best Battlefield!?

 Jack Frags published a recent video going over the Battlefield Reddit communities vote for "Best Battlefield game ever".  Surprisingly the winner was Battlefield 1 which happened to also be available on Steam for the low sales price of $5.99.  Having not played BF1 and being apparently the "best one" I had to give it a go.

 Before I jump into my initial impressions let's review my last personal "favorite Battlefield" list (at least as far as I can find in my 20 years of blog content): https://www.heartlessgamer.com/2011/11/battlefield-3-is-step-back.html

My list at the time in 2011:

1. Battlefield 2
2. Battlefield 1942
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
4. Battlefield Heroes
5. Battlefield 3 

  Since that is 13 years (yikes) old let me update it:

1. Battlefield 2
2. Battlefield 1942
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
4. Battlefield 2042
5. Battlefield Heroes

 There.  All is right with the world.  The community has a different opinion with Battlefield 1, Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 4 being the top three.  Personally, I didn't jive with Battlefield 3.  I played a good bit of it but it didn't supplant the others.  I never played Battlefield 4 (because of my feelings about 3) and originally the theme of Battlefield 1 was not attractive so I skipped it.

 More recently I've had a side addiction to Battlefield 2042.  I didn't get it at launch so missed all the launch drama and came in well after the game had significant changes to make it more Battlefield-like.  I am in the minority listing this as one of my favorite Battlefield games.  2042 has a bad reputation from that launch drama.  For me though it hits a sweet spot in theme (near future) and a good balance between infantry and vehicle.  I really enjoy it and haven't enjoyed a Battlefield game this much since BFBC2.

 Battlefield 1

 On to Battlefield 1 then. I've put about 3 hours in so far and it is definitely a different experience than other Battlefields.  Part of it is the setting being World War 1 but also that the game seems stuck between the old days of server browsers and the new days of "quick match" push button experiences.

 Personally I couldn't get quick match to work as there was never enough players to start the matches.  The campaign mode also didn't seem to work.  This pushed me into the server browser and there were only a few servers to pick from with reasonable ping.

 Once in a match the visuals are top notch.  I grabbed some screenshots riding around on a horse as cavalry and for a game that is seven years old it looks pretty good.  The maps are also visually stunning and some feature a grand scope.  I stopped a few times to look at something.

 I can't say I've ever played a WW1 themed game so some of the aspects caught me by surprise such as the horse cavalry, the biplanes, and coolest of all: the armored train!  The first time I was on a map when the train came rolling through was pretty dang cool.

 With those surprises it made me realize there is a lot I don't understand about this Battlefield.  Sure there are points on the map to conquer and the classic Battlefield classes to pick from, but as far as how stuff like the train works I don't know.  The maps are also proving difficult for me to grok and some rounds are really rough learning where you can and can't stick your head out.

 I think I'll put a few more hours into the game but it's not grabbing me like 2042 did.  Its a good break from the faster pace and more technically capable vehicles of 2042 though so has a slot currently with New World being on the slow down.

The Big Upgrade: Ryzen 5 3600X to Ryzen 7 5800X3D

Hooray; I've upgraded my CPU: Ryzen 5 3600X to Ryzen 7 5800X3D!

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a powerful processor that offers substantial improvements over the Ryzen 5 3600X. In this blog post, I’ll explore the key differences, gaming performance gains, and considerations for upgrading.

Performance Benchmarks

I’ve looked at extensive benchmarks to compare these two CPUs across various games and applications. Here are some highlights:

a. Gaming Performance

• CS:GO: The 5800X3D outperforms the 3600X by 81% in 1% lows and boosts the average frame rate by 55%.
• Assetto Corsa Competizione: The 5800X3D provides a staggering 95% increase in frame rates compared to the 3600X.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Even in GPU-bound scenarios, the 5800X3D maintains a significant lead, with up to 55% higher average frame rates.

Value and Considerations

• The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a worthwhile upgrade for gamers seeking top-tier performance.
• If you have a powerful GPU and prioritize gaming, the 5800X3D will deliver substantial gains.
• Keep in mind that the 3600X is still a capable CPU, especially if budget constraints are a concern.

Conclusion

Upgrading to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a smart move if you want the best gaming performance. However, consider your GPU and use case before making the switch. Happy upgrading!

Remember to check compatibility with your motherboard and ensure proper cooling for optimal performance. Enjoy your new CPU!

Day 1: New World Season 5

 New World Season 5 is here and there are a lot of changes to go with it.  Here are my Day 1 thoughts with a few of the changes.

 The major change is the rewrite of the combat code and animation system.  The good news is they didn't screw it up and anyone logging in today vs yesterday is not going to see anyproblems.  Combat feels snappier and more responsive.  After playing through an outpost rush (OPR) match all of my fears of this change going poorly were alleviated.  Well done AGS!

 Even outside of combat feels improved.  I tend to take the same route through the town of Ebonscale Reach which involves a lot of jumping and flying off edges using skills like Leaping Strike from my sword.  I have done these moves so many times they are ingrained in my memory and they feel so much better now with the changes.  I wish I had video to show the difference but alas I've not kept up my promising of recording video.

 Next are the armor weight balance changes; specifically looking at heavy armor.  My comments are formed off a single outpost rush match so take it with a passing grain of salt.  Through that match it... felt... the same.  I was tanky and did good damage and a solid K/D of 12/6.  Heavy melee, especially sword and shield/spear, were still dominant in the melee scrums.  I am sure the math works out that heavy damage is less but not sure it will feel that way for many.  I did see more heavy armor players get dropped though and at times I felt a little weaker defensively so we'll have to watch over time.

 One thing I didn't expect to talk about but sort of jumped right out at me is the PvP track reward updates.  As a PvP rank 200 player I am at the top end of the reward curve so I can't speak to the lower levels that get lower gearscore rewards now, but at least for me at 200 the item rewards are much more relevant.  My first track featured two 697 GS legendary swords and a 700 GS named amulet.  Also there is new PvP furniture for the house, which of course I bought immediately.  The high GS rewards were a nice change and I can see myself snagging some (which I did with the 700 GS amulet). 

There is a bug with item text but just some of the PvP track rewards for me today.

 

 

Nice rewards!

 Last we have mounts enabled in OPR and boy did it feel different!  I really, really like seeing a swarm of players on mounts ride into the central fort on the map and all come flying off as the first attacks start dismounting players.  Tossing a giant fireball from one side of the fort to the other and seeing multiple players get dismounted is awesome.

 As far as my single OPR match went the immediate changes noticed was that all forts were constantly under contention and I saw more points flip and more points get contested than I can remember in any OPR match.  I attribute this increased fort fighting due to less folks getting bogged down on the roads.

 There is some strategy as well to dismounting players in OPR since ranged attacks cause players to get dismounted. If you control the central fort and can put ranged on the wall they can really slow down mounted players trying to skirt the fort.

 The baroness fight (aka baron) also changed a good bit due to mounts.  I saw more players make it to the baron fight and in my OPR match we had three baron fights.  Each fight had both teams present and each time baron was "sniped" by the team with less players.  Baron or fort fights the key is mounts lets players get to the action faster and more reliably and that feels good! 

Resting in my new Champion's Canopy Bed!

 Up next for me in Season 5

1. New artifacts
2. 3v3 arenas where I'll get a better sense on balance changes
3. New season trial (not clear it was active yet)
4. Cooking changes (we'll see if I care enough to check them out)
   

Windsward 300

 Just a milestone from New World.  I hit level 300 in Windsward town experience which is my first max level city.  Windsward is my main crafting hub and crafting is the fastest way to reach 300.  My next highest city is 170ish.

Day 1: Path of Exile

 The crowd sourced decision was "yes" and I downloaded and installed Path of Exile yesterday.  I scanned through my options and picked the Templar and was off smashing the living dead on another starter beach.

Starter beach; literally.

 

 Starting out the first thing I noticed was how "slow" the combat felt. I mostly arrived at Path of Exile's doorstep following the very complicated postings of Belghast on his blog Tales of the Aggronaut.  It was fascinating to me the level of complexity building a character in the game offered.  Along with the complex web of the game's skill tree were videos of action packed combat so I expected that to be the experience on starter beach.  Yet it wasn't!

 I don't want to sound like I am knocking the combat but when your head is filled with the idea you are going to be a bowling ball of destruction rolling across the screen it's a little off putting when it feels like an eternity for your avatar to swing their weapon. With that said I get that game's have to start off slow so player's can feel progress. 

 I made it off starter beach and into a shared hub of some sort where ! points lead me to my next quest objectives.  I turned in the starter quests and picked up some new ones.  As is my tradition I clicked through the conversations to get to the "just put it in the quest list on screen" step.  

 Some tutorial prompts directed me to look in my inventory so I got my first look at loot and gear in the game.  I immediately saw why folks call Path of Exile complex.  Even the starter gear I had collected was full of stats and effects.  I was then walked through adding gems to the gear.  These are not your "+1 damage" gems; these are "%4 mana gained when a specific attack is taken while an enemy is in Z state" levels of gems.

 Lastly I leveled up to the point in order to unlock a skill point and I dared myself to open the infamous skill tree.  Like gear, the skill tree is very complex.  It is a lot to look at, even more to grok, and even more to master.  This is the heart of the statement "Path of Exile is not for the feint of heart".  Complexity aside, I only had one skill point to spend and so I spent it on the first node that does more damage.

I've got a plan...

  So what is my assessment after one day?  I don't think the game necessarily hooked me.  The complexity does intrigue me, but it also pushes me away.  Do I really want to become invested in another game right now? We'll see.  I'm glad I've given POE a try finally.

Should I? Path of Exile

 Should I?

MMORPG Alphas! MMORPG Betas! Oh my!

 2024 is shaping up to be a big MMORPG year.  Along that line new alphas and betas are coming soon for Throne & Liberty global launch and Pax Dei!

 First, Throne & Liberty has announced their long awaited global beta for April 10th!  More details below:

The upcoming Closed Beta Test will start on April 10 at 1PM PT (8PM UTC) and run until April 17 at 1PM PT (8PM UTC). Selected players will receive their invitation via email on April 2, and will be provided a code via email on April 4 with further instructions on how to participate.

 I've signed up and am hopeful to make the beta.  I have a lot of interest in Throne & Liberty as it seems to be on of the few games really striking for the "massive" portion of MMORPG.  For some folks a PvP fight with 1,000+ players may seem muddled but to me it sounds fun.

 

 Next up is Pax Dei with their next "Wilderness Alpha" phase coming.  Check the news post for more information.  If you end up signing up for alpha access feel free to enter my referral code "heartlessgamer_friends".

We just announced that our upcoming Alpha will start on April 23rd. In this post, we want to explain the delay and provide more details on what our teams have been working on during the past few months, as well as what you can expect to test this time around.

 The team looks to be making good progress with the game; specifically on the RPG side.  The sandbox building side looked to be in pretty good shape from previous alpha testing.  With this new alpha there is a hefty set of changes to animations, skills, and thus combat is changing.  The animations of the prior alphas was not polished so looking to see the changes.

 They also have new dungeons which look much better than the caves of the prior updates.

New World: Merge Day and Community Q&A

 New World is gaining momentum again. The server merges are scheduled for tomorrow, March 27th. Following that, the Season 5 update will be released next week on April 2nd. Additionally, the March community  Q&A update has been released.  Let's dive in!

 First, the server merge that is relevant to me.  US East/Castle of Steel is merging into Valhalla.  I am not deep into the server politics or war scene anymore so that aspect is irrelevant for me (though I am sure it will cause some grumpy faces for others).  What I like about merge days is the interruption to my daily routines.

 I have a consistent set of open world runs I like to go on.  I am not talking about elite chest runs; I am talking more about areas of the world I like to hit up and usually do so the same time every day.  With the merges I will get to see new faces and as I'm PvP flagged 90% of the time that means the fight may be on!

 Also with merge days comes the collision of trading posts.  In the past I'd have spent the better part of the week before merge scouring for deals to buy low and sell high post merge. This time around I am not putting that level of effort in but I do have stockpile of stuff ready for merge day.  I am also sitting on 300,000+ gold which is 200,000 short of the cap for gold so I can't generate too much wealth until the Season 5 update when gold cap updates to 1,000,000.

 The developers also took time away from Game Developers Conference (GDC) to give our March community Q&A.  

 I found this update to be refreshing and it restored some hope.  Nothing major was said but the team was more blunt in their responses which was helpful.  For example the team finally said "we are not working on adding daggers to the game" vs past statements that were wishy-washy such as "we think daggers are cool yadda yadda" which lead players to keep asking for updates on daggers.

 In that list of more definitive statements the team confirmed:

• Daggers, as noted, are not being worked on
• They are working on PvP updates for the game; more to come in the June announcement
• They are NOT talking about the June update at this time
• They are NOT working on a new OPR (outpost rush) map
• They are NOT working to change town buffs
• They are going to get rid of the perfect salvage pop up
• We will get cross server 3v3 arenas in 2024
• They believe they have a fix for the title spam on changing game modes for Season 5 (4/2)

 For me these answers were a breath of fresh air.  I liked the answers.  I continue to enjoy that the team confronts negative feedback and "stick to their guns" on topics.  I am frustrated like other players we have to wait for June for the next big info dump but at least they are confirming PvP is part of that update.  They seem excited about the big announcement so that gets me excited.

 This time next week we'll be playing Season 5 and fighting in the new combat code/animation system.  I am glad they chose 4/2 instead of 4/1 so we can all be spared the April Fools jokes should another delay occur.

 

Steam Backlog: Borderlands 2

 This post is part of my running series: My Steam Backlog (see all MySteamBacklog tagged posts).

 With the lull in activity for New World I am back at it in my backlog of games on Steam.  Today I booted up Borderlands 2 and an hour later uninstalled it.  Here's my thoughts.

 This was actually my second go around at Borderlands 2 and it didn't take long for me to remember why I stopped playing the first time around.  For context, I loved the original Borderlands.  It was a fast looter shooter and was over before it overstayed it's welcome.  Borderlands 2 on the other hand bogs down as soon as you start.  The looting and shooting is still there but there is a good bit of waiting inbetween.

 To go along with the waiting I also had some technical issues.  Changing resolutions and windowed kept causing the game to not launch properly.  Then while playing, no matter the settings, I kept getting stutters intermittently.  Mouse sensitivity was all over the place and I was never able to figure out what was up between the game's settings  and my mouse's DPI settings.  I don't have issues in other games.

 Throw in technical issues and an early reminder starting a new game that there is a bit of waiting and I was bored fairly quickly and moved the game to uninstalled.  For the purposes of my Steam backlog though it is off the list!  Glad I picked it up in a sale :)

 Some screenshots:

Oh... ah... pretty sky!

I do like the intro screens but they are a bit too common to start the game out.

I do like the intro screens but they are a bit too common to start the game out.

Oh look a quest where... all I do is... wait?

Oh look... another quest where all you do is... wait?

I do like the intro screens but they are a bit too common to start the game out.

By the background you can see I was in the middle of shootin' when this game tip popped up freezing the action.